As an avid mystery fan, I saw the description of this book and immediately wanted to read it. I enjoyed the setting in Toronto with two female detectives as the lead characters in 1910. These two women face challenges daily as they try to forge their way into an exclusively male career. Merinda is supported by her wealthy parents while Jem has been disowned by her parents and works in a department store to earn her keep. Both women have been told to find husbands, start a family and keep house. That is what women are supposed to do, right? These ladies beg to differ. They set out to discover a killer of two, young, Irish women. This is their first really big case and Merinda especially is determined to succeed.

During the course of their investigations aided by Jasper Forth, a police detective as well as Ray DeLuca, a reporter for the local rag, Jem and Merinda begin to unravel the clues that lead to a murderer. Jem and Merinda are threatened, chased, manhandled with Ray coming to the rescue more than once. The mayor is up for re-election and the chief of police has taken Jasper off the case. So Merinda and Jem don disguises to continue their investigation. However, in a desperate attempt to avoid capture, the killer kidnaps Jem. Can Merinda, Jasper and Ray find her before it is too late?

Negatives: I would have liked more background on how Jem and Merinda met and how they became interested in detective work. Maybe that information was included in the first novella, which I haven’t read. I didn’t much like Merinda in this story as she appeared to me to be callous, selfish and uncaring toward everyone. Hopefully, in the next book her character will grow more compassionate.

Positives: I loved Ray’s character. The information included on immigrants was also interesting. I hope to see more of Jasper in the next story as well. I also liked the funny footnotes at the bottom of some of the pages as well as the snippets included at the beginning of each chapter from the detective handbook. I liked the shorter chapters and the author’s note. I look forward to the next mystery for Herringford & Watts.

My rating is 4 stars.

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